Method for preparing integral black matrix/color filter elements

ABSTRACT

A method for the manufacture of a matrix on a substrate, said matrix being particularly useful in the formation of color filter elements, the process comprising the steps of: 
     a) providing an imageable article comprising a substrate having on at least one surface thereof a black layer, 
     b) directing energy of sufficient intensity at said black layer to transparentize black layer, 
     c) said directing of energy being done so that black layer is removed in some areas, but is not removed in other areas so that borders of black layer surround areas from which black layer has been removed. 
     A preferred method deposits colorant material within the open areas of the matrix by thermal transfer, e.g., laser induced thermal transfer, of colorant material to form a filter element.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a method for preparing a black matrix with acolor filter element for use as an element in color displays. Inparticular, this invention relates to a method for preparing a blackmatrix with a color filter element for use in liquid crystal displaydevices.

2. Background of the Art

One method of making colored images upon a non-photosensitive base useslaser induced colorant transfer or laser induced mask production. Adonor element is induced (as by ablative levels of radiation) totransfer donor color material to a receptor surface. The donor maycontain radiation or thermally sensitive materials to enhance theefficiency of transfer, or the donor material may be ablated withoutadditional materials. Examples of this type of imaging process includesU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,156,938, 5,171,650, 5,256,506, and 5,089,372. The firstthree patents generally refer to producing a pattern of intelligence.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,650 discloses methods and materials for thermalimaging using an "ablation-transfer" technique. The donor element forthat imaging process comprises a support, an intermediate dynamicrelease layer, and an ablative carrier topcoat. The topcoat carries thecolorant. The dynamic release layer may also contain infrared-absorbing(light to heat conversion) dyes or pigments. The pigments also includeblack copper as an additive. Nitrocellulose is disclosed as a possiblebinder.

Copending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/855,799 discloses ablativeimaging elements comprising a substrate coated on a portion thereof withan energy sensitive layer comprising a glycidyl azide polymer incombination with a radiation absorber. Demonstrated imaging sourcesincluded infrared, visible, and ultraviolet lasers. Solid state laserswere disclosed as exposure sources, although laser diodes were notspecifically mentioned. This application is primarily concerned with theformation of relief printing plates and lithographic plates by ablationof the energy sensitive layer. No specific mention of utility forthermal mass transfer was made.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,737 discloses the use of black metal layers onpolymeric substrates with gas-producing polymer layers which generaterelatively high volumes of gas when irradiated. The black metal (e.g.,aluminum) absorbs the radiation efficiently and converts it to heat forthe gas-generating materials. It is observed in the examples that insome cases the black metal was eliminated from the substrate, leaving apositive image on the substrate.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,023 discloses laser-addressable thermal transfermaterials for producing color proofs, printing plates, films, printedcircuit boards, and other media. The materials contain a substratecoated thereon with a propellant layer wherein the propellant layercontains a material capable of producing nitrogen (N₂) gas at atemperature of preferably less than about 300 degree C.; a radiationabsorber; and a thermal mass transfer material. The thermal masstransfer material may be incorporated into the propellant layer or in anadditional layer coated onto the propellant layer. The radiationabsorber may be employed in one of the above-disclosed layers or in aseparate layer in order to achieve localized heating with anelectromagnetic energy source, such as a laser. Upon laser inducedheating, the transfer material is propelled to the receptor by the rapidexpansion of gas. The thermal mass transfer material may contain, forexample, pigments, toner particles, resins, metal particles, monomers,polymers, dyes, or combinations thereof. Also disclosed is a process forforming an image as well as an imaged article made thereby.

None of these patents teach the production of windows and the subsequentoverlaying of these windows with colorants to form color filters.

A series of patents (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,965,242, 4,962,081, 4,975,410,4,923,860, 5,073,534, and 5,166,126) have been assigned to Kodakdisclosing the use of thermal dye diffusion transfer to make filterelements and color filter constructions. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,965,242 and5,073,534 teach the use of high T_(g) polycarbonate and polyesterreceiving layers to accept the thermally transferred dye. With bothreceiving layers, a vaporous solvent treatment is required to drive thedye into the receiving layer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a process of forming a black matrixwith a color filter element within the matrix. The process may generallyinvolve the following steps:

1) provide a light transmissive substrate having a thermallytransparentize (e.g., any process which generates heat to removematerials, including photochemical processes in which irradiation causeschemical changes which effectively transparentize the coating) blackcoating thereon,

2) projecting radiation against said black coating to transparentizeblack coating on said substrate, said transparentization creating areason said substrate which are more light transmissive than areas whereblack coating has not been transparentized, and

3) transferring one or more pigment layers onto at least some of saidareas which are more light transmissive to create a black matrix/colorfilter element.

"thermally ablative transfer material" or "element" or "medium" refersto a medium which is ablated in thermal imaging processes by the actionof a thermal source, by a rapid removal of material from the surface butwithout sublimation of the material;

"thermally melt stick materials" include thermal mass transfer materialswhich when thermally addressed stick to a receptor surface with greaterstrength than they adhere to the donor surface and physically transferwhen the surfaces are separated. The above two processes may be usedequivalently to other methods within the concept of laser induced masstransfer for generating colors.

"transparentize" or "transparentization" refers to a process in which asubstantial increase in the light transmissivity of the medium isobserved (e.g., through vaporization, oxidation, ablation, etc. of theblack coating layer).

This invention allows for the creation of a black matrix/color filterelement by forming a black matrix without using photoresist technology.

Registration of the windows with the color filter elements in thepractice of the present invention is possible with a high degree ofprecision.

In one embodiment of our invention a pigment layer is directlytransferred to a glass substrate, without a receiving layer, and nofurther treatment is required. Our invention has the distinct advantageof using pigments as colorants which are less prone to migration and areconsiderably more lightfast than dyes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a process of forming a black matrix(e.g., a window) with a color filter element within the matrix. Theprocess may be generally described as involving the following steps:

1) providing a light transmissive substrate having a thermallytransparentizable black coating thereon,

2) projecting radiation against said black coating to transparentizeblack coating on said substrate, said transparentization creating areason said substrate which are more light transmissive than areas whereblack coating has not been transparentized, and

3) transferring one or more colorant layers onto at least some of saidareas which are more light transmissive to create a black matrix/colorfilter element.

The black matrix can be prepared from a variety of materials. A typicalconstruction comprises a black or dark colored coating on a transparentsubstrate. The black matrix may optionally comprise additional layerssuch as primers or undercoats to improve adhesion of the black coloredcoating to the substrate and overcoats to tailor properties (e.g.,receptivity, abrasion resistance, antireflection, etc.) as desired.Preferably the black coated substrate has an average optical density inthe visible region (400-700 nm.) of greater than 1, more preferablygreater than 2. The construction is addressed in an imagewise fashion torender some regions optically transparent.

In the case of some coatings, such as black metal coatings, one surfaceof the coating may be black, and the other surface may be black, shiny(reflective), or somewhere in between. In this case the black coating ispreferably black on the surface that will be viewed by the observer inthe final black matrix/color filter element. It is also generallypreferable that the laser used to ablate or transparentize the blackcoating address the black or less reflective side of the black coatinglayer.

The black coating can be any material that provides the appearance ofblack and can be ablated or otherwise rendered optically transparentwhen imaged. The black coating is preferably any black body absorbingmaterial. By black body absorbing material is meant any material thathas significant absorptions in the UV, visible, and near infraredregions of the spectrum. Such materials often have increasing absorbancegoing from longer to shorter wavelength across the spectrum. Examples ofblack body absorbers include carbon black, a metal, a metal oxide, orcombinations thereof. When the black coating layer comprises carbonblack, it is preferred that the carbon black be dispersed in a filmforming binder.

When the black body absorber is a black metal layer, particularly whenit is a black metal oxide or sulfide layer, it preferably comprisesblack aluminum, black tin, or black chromium and may be produced byprocesses such as metal evaporation or metal sputtering according to theteachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,366. Most preferably the black coatingis a mixture of metal and metal oxide.

Other suitable black coatings include organic colorants (i.e. dyes andpigments) or mixtures of dyes and pigments. In the case of organiccolorants, it is preferred that they be dispersed or dissolved in abinder. The binder may be any organic polymer. A preferred organiccolorant/binder combination is carbon black/acrylic polymer.

The black coating layer must absorb a significant amount of the incomingradiation at the wavelength of irradiation. It is preferred that thecoating be absorptive rather than reflective. Addition of a dye or otherradiation absorber may be necessary with some coatings when usinginfrared lasers as the radiation source.

In one embodiment of this invention, the black matrix can be prepared bypositioning a mask containing the desired window pattern on top of theblack coated substrate, and then using a laser or other high poweredlight source (e.g., xenon flash lamp) to ablate or transparentize theunmasked portions. Masks may be prepared by conventional methods knownin the art such as through the use of a photoresist/etching process. Themask is usually made of a material that reflects the incident laserradiation, and can be coated or deposited on a flexible or a rigidsubstrate. Materials commonly used to reflect the incident radiationinclude chrome and/or aluminum. When a laser is used to ablate ortransparentize the black coated substrate, the laser may be scanned in acontinuous fashion over the mask, which is held in intimate contact withthe substrate. The use of a mask to prepare the black matrix in generalresults in sharp window edges and precise registration of the windowedges. It is crucial that no debris from the imaging process contaminatethe mask. One method of eliminating contamination resulting from theimaging process is to prelaminate a sacrificial layer to the blackcoated substrate. The sacrificial layer may be removed after imaging. Anexample of a sacrificial layer is a thin film of PET coated with athermoplastic layer (e.g., waxes, synthetic polymers, and mixturesthereof) that can be laminated onto the black coated substrate. When thesacrificial layer is removed, the thermoplastic material has theproperty of removing any debris that is produced during imaging, andprohibits the contamination of the mask during the imaging process.

In still another embodiment of this invention, the black matrix can bedirectly prepared by electronically modulating the laser beam to ablateor transparentize the desired pattern.

Substantially any metal capable of forming an oxide or sulfide can beused in the practice of this invention for the black metal or metaloxide layer. In particular aluminum, tin, chromium, nickel, titanium,cobalt, zinc, iron, lead, manganese, copper and mixtures thereof can beused. Not all of these metals when converted to metal oxides accordingto this process will form materials having all of the specificallydesirable properties (e.g., optical density, light transmissivity,etc.). However, all of these metal oxide containing layers formedaccording to the practice of the present invention will be useful andcontain many of the benefits of the present process includingbondability to polymeric materials. The metal vapors in the chamber maybe supplied by any of the various known techniques suitable for theparticular metals, e.g., electron beam vaporization, resistance heaters,etc. Reference is made to Vacuum Deposition Of Thin Films, L. Holland,1970, Chapman and Hall, London, England with regard to the manyavailable means of providing metal vapors and vapor coating techniques,in general.

Metal oxide or metal sulfide containing layers, exemplary of the blackmetal layers according to the present invention, may be deposited asthin as layers of molecular dimensions up through dimensions inmicrometers. The composition of the layer throughout its thickness maybe readily controlled as herein described. Preferably the metal/metaloxide or sulfide layer will be between 50 and 5000 Å in its imagingutilities, but may contribute bonding properties when 15 Å, 25 Å orsmaller and structural properties when 5×10⁴ Å or higher.

The conversion to graded metal oxide or metal sulfide is effected by theintroduction of oxygen, sulfur, water vapor or hydrogen sulfide atpoints along the metal vapor stream. By thus introducing these gases orvapors at specific points along the vapor stream in the vapor depositionchamber, a coating of a continuous or graded composition (throughouteither thickness of the layer) may be obtained. By selectivelymaintaining a gradation of the concentration of these reactive gases orvapors across the length of the vapor deposition chamber through whichthe substrate to be coated is being moved, an incremental gradation ofthe composition of the coating layer (throughout its thickness) isobtained because of the different compositions (i.e., different ratiosof oxides or sulfides to metals) being deposited in different regions ofthe vapor deposition chamber. One can in fact deposit a layer comprising100% metal at one surface (the top or bottom of the coating layer) and100% metal oxide or sulfide at the other surface. This kind ofconstruction is a particularly desirable one because it provides astrong coherent coating layer with excellent adhesion to the substrate.

A substrate which is to be coated continuously moves along the length ofthe chamber from an inlet area of the vapor deposition chamber to anoutlet area. Metal vapor is deposited over a substantial length of thechamber, and the proportion of metal oxide or sulfide being codepositedwith the metal at any point along the length of the chamber (ordeposited as 100% oxide or sulfide) depends upon the amount of reactivegas or vapor which has entered that portion of the metal vapor streamwhich is being deposited at that point along the length of the chamber.Assuming, for purposes of illustration, that an equal number of metalatoms (as metal or oxides or sulfides) are being deposited at any timeat any point along the length of the chamber, gradation in the depositedcoating is expected by varying the amount of oxygen or sulfur containingreactive gas or vapor which contacts the metal vapor at various pointsor areas along the length of the chamber. By having a gradation ofincreasing amounts of reactive gas along the length of the chamber, onegets a corresponding gradation in the increased proportions of oxide orsulfide deposited. Deposition of metal vapor is seldom as uniform asthat assumed, but in actual practice it is no more difficult accordingto the procedures of the present invention to locally vary the amount ofoxygen, water, sulfur or hydrogen sulfide introduced into differentregions of said metal vapor along the length of the surface of thesubstrate to be coated as the substrate is moved so as to coat thesurface with a layer having varying ratios of metal/(metal oxide orsulfide) through its thickness. It is desirable that the reactive gas orvapor enter the stream itself and not just diffuse into the stream. Thelatter tends to cause a less controllable distribution of oxides withinthe stream. By injecting or focussing the entrance of the reactive gasor vapor into the stream itself, a more consistent mixing in that partof the stream is effected.

Transitional characteristics bear an important relationship to some ofthe properties of the black metal products. The coating has dispersedphases of materials therein, one the metal and the other the metal oxideor sulfide. The latter materials are often transparent or translucent,while the former are opaque. By controlling the amount of particulatemetal which remains dispersed in the transparent oxide or sulfide phase,the optical properties of the coating can be dramatically varied.Translucent coatings of yellowish, tan, and gray tones may be provided,and substantially opaque black film may be provided from a single metalby varying the percentage of conversion of the metal to oxide duringdeposition of the coating layer.

The substrate may be any substance upon which a window, color filter orthe like is desired to be formed. Preferably the substrate is atransparent (at least light transmissive) substrate, such as glass,polymer film, and the like. When glass is the substrate, the use ofglass treated with silane coupling agents (e.g.,3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane) may be useful to increase adhesion of thecolorant layer. Possible substrates include glass, polyester base (e.g.,polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate), polycarbonateresins, polyolefin resins, polyvinyl resins (e.g., polyvinyl chloride,polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetals, etc.), cellulose ester bases(e.g., cellulose triacetate, cellulose acetate), and other conventionalpolymeric films used as supports in various imaging arts. Transparentpolymeric film base of 2 to 100 mils (e.g., 0.05 to 2.54 mm) ispreferred. If the substrate is a polymeric film, it is preferred thatthe film be non-birefringent so as not to interfere with the operationof the display in which it is to be integrated. When polymeric films arechosen as the substrate, it is sometimes desirable to have an adhesivelayer on the substrate to maximize the transfer of the colorant layer.Preferred examples of non-birefringent substrates are polyesters thatare solvent cast. Typical examples of these are those derived frompolymers consisting or consisting essentially of repeating,interpolymerized units derived from 9,9-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-fluoreneand isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid or mixtures thereof, the polymerbeing sufficiently low in oligomer (i.e., chemical species havingmolecular weights of about 8000 or less) content to allow formation of auniform film. This polymer has been disclosed as one component in athermal transfer receiving element in U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,938. Anotherclass of non-birefringent substrates are amorphous polyolefins (e.g.,Zeonex™ from Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd.). The most preferred substrate isglass. It is preferred that this glass be 0.5 to 2.0 mm thick.Especially preferred thicknesses are 0.7 and 1.1 mm.

The colors to be deposited on the windows of the black matrix substratesheet may comprise any color material which can be deposited within thewindows with adherence to the substrate. In a preferred embodiment, thecolorant is in a suitable binder system and is solvent coated.

When pigments are used as the color material, they are preferablytransparent. Examples of transparent pigments that can be used in thisinvention include Sun RS Magenta 234-0077™, Hoechst GS YellowGG11-1200™, Sun GS Cyan 249-0592™, Sun RS Cyan 248-0615™, Ciba-Geigy BSMagenta RT-333D™, Ciba-Geigy Microlith Yellow 3G-WA™, Ciba-GeigyMicrolith Yellow 2R-WA™, Ciba-Geigy Microlith Blue YG-WA™, Ciba-GeigyMicrolith Black C-WA™, Ciba-Geigy Microlith Violet RL-WA™, Ciba-GeigyMicrolith Red RBS-WA™, any of the Heucotech Aquis II™ series, any of theHeucosperse Aquis III™ series, and the like.

A preferred method of inserting or depositing the colors on the matrixis by a laser induced mass transfer process in which a donor sheethaving the colors thereon is used to transfer colors onto the substratewithin the borders of the matrix lines. Such donor sheets are known inthe art for direct image forming, but are not believed to have beenshown for use in the formation of color filters.

An example of a suitable color donor element would be a coating of dyeor pigment (with or without a binder) on a substrate. A laser or otherfocused radiation source is used to heat the color material in animagewise manner to transfer the color to the matrix bearing receptorsheet. It is often desirable in such constructions to assist in theabsorption intensity of the imaging radiation since the dye or pigment(and the substrate) may not necessarily be highly absorptive of theimaging radiation. An imaging radiation absorbent material may beincluded within the dye/pigment layer (e.g., where an infrared emittingimaging radiation source is used, an infrared absorbing dye with littleor no visible absorbance may be used). A separate imaging radiationlayer may also be used, normally adjacent to the color containing donorlayer. The colors of the donor layer may be selected as needed by theuser from amongst the many available colors normally or specially usedin filter elements, such as cyan, yellow, magenta, red, blue, green,white and other colors and tones of the spectrum as contemplated. Thedyes are preferably transmissive of preselected specific wavelengthswhen transferred to the matrix bearing receptor layer. For manyapplications, highly transmissive dyes, e.g., dyes having an opticaldensity of less than 0.5 optical density units within a narrowwavelength distribution of 10 nanometers or less when those dyes arepresent on the matrix, are preferred. Dyes with even lower absorptioncharacteristics within those narrow wavelength bands are more preferred.

A typical color donor element is comprised of a substrate layer, alight-to-heat-conversion layer (LTHC), a colorant layer, and optionallyan adhesive layer. The substrate layer is typically a polyester film.However, any film that has sufficient transparency at the imagingwavelength and sufficient mechanical stability can be used. The LTHClayer can be a black body absorber, an organic pigment, or dye such thatthe LTHC layer has an optical density between 0.2-3.0. A preferred LTHClayer is a metal/metal oxide layer (e.g. black aluminum). The colorantlayer is comprised of at least one organic or inorganic colorant orpigment and optionally an organic polymer or binder. The colorant layermay also contain a variety of additives including but not limited todyes, plasticizers, UV-stabilizers, film forming additives, andadhesives. When a dye is used as an additive, it is generally preferablethat the dye absorbs light of the same frequency as the imaging lightsource. The optional adhesive layer may also contain a dye that absorbslight of the same frequency as the imaging laser or light source.

In a preferred embodiment, the colorant layer refers to a layercontaining a pigment, surfactant, binder, and possibly other additives.Any pigment may be used, but preferred are those listed as having goodcolor permanency and transparency in the NPIRI Raw Materials DataHandbook, Volume 4 (Pigments). Either non-aqueous or aqueous dispersionsof pigment in binder may be used. In the non-aqueous case, solvent basedpigment dispersions may be used along with an appropriate solvent basedbinder (i.e. Elvacite™ acrylic resins available from DuPont). However,it is often preferred to use an aqueous dispersion of pigment in binder.In this case, the most preferred pigments are in the form of binderlessaqueous dispersions (i.e. Aquis II™ supplied by Heucotech) and the mostpreferred binders are those specifically designed for pigment wetting(i.e. Neocryl BT™ acrylic resins from Zeneca Resins). The use ofappropriate binders promotes the formation of sharp, well defined linesduring transfer. When the colorant transfer is induced by a high poweredlight source (i.e., xenon flash lamp), it is usually necessary toinclude as binder an energetic or gas producing polymer such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,308,737 and 5,278,023.

The pigment/binder ratio is typically 1:1 but may range from 0.25:1 to4:1. A Mayer bar may be used to coat the colorant layer. Typically, a #4bar is used to coat the dispersion which contains approximately 10 wt. %solids to give a dry coating thickness of about 1 micron. Othercombinations of dispersion % solids and Mayer bar number are used toachieve different coating thicknesses. In general, a dry coatingthickness of 0.1 to 10 microns is desired.

Transfer assist layer refers to a layer of adhesive coated as theoutermost layer of the donor or receptor. The adhesive serves to promotecomplete transfer of colorant during the separation of the donor fromthe receptor after imaging. Preferred are colorless, transparentmaterials with a slight tack or no tack at room temperature, such asDaratak™ adhesive emulsion from Hampshire Chemical Corporation.

A general description of color filters for liquid crystal displays isgiven in C. C. O Mara, Liquid Crystal Flat Panel Display: ManufacturingScience and Technology, Van Norstrand Reinhold, 1993 p. 70. Severalfabrication methods are disclosed. The most common method for preparingcolor filters is using photolithographic techniques. Onephotolithographic process is detailed in an article entitled "ColorFilters from Dyed Polyimides" W. J. Latham and D. W. Hawley, Solid StateTechnology, May 1988. This paper shows the complex, multi-step nature ofthe photolithographic process. By comparison, this invention provides amuch simpler process for making a color filter array.

A preferred embodiment of this invention is when the windows formed byablation or transparentization of the black coated substrate are in theform of simple geometric objects such as rectangles, squares ortriangles. The color elements may also be simple geometric objects,however, it is important that the color elements completely cover thewindow element. Alternatively, for some configurations of color filters,the color elements may be created as stripes. Another commonconfiguration for a color filter array is when the color elements in onerow are displaced by one element in the second row and by two elementsin the third row such that the color elements are diagonally aligned.

The dimensions of the elements can range from 5-1000 microns. Moretypically the dimensions are on the order of 50-300 microns. Thesedimensions are easily produced by photolithographic and laser imagingtechniques.

The colors used to form the color filter are generally the primaryadditive colors, i.e. red, green, and blue. Each of these primary colorspreferably has high color purity and transmittance, and, when combined,an appropriate white balance. The color filters preferably have spectralcharacteristics of red, green, and blue that show chromaticity close tothe National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) standard colorsindicated by the Commission International de l'Eclairage (CIE)chromaticity diagram. Although red, green, and blue are the most commoncolors for the filters, other color combinations may be used forspecialty applications. In some cases, the repeat sequence in a row isred:green:blue. For other applications the repeat sequence in a row isred:green:green:blue.

The process of the present invention may be performed by fairly simplesteps, which is one of the major advantages of the present invention.The final matrix substrate comprising the transmissive substrate and theblack coating layer is image wise exposed to ablative levels ofradiation to remove the black material in the desired shape of a matrixor distribution of windows. The same or different laser may be used toinduce mass transfer of the colorant to the windows of the black matrix.However, when the matrix formation is performed on a laser imagingdevice and the color transfer is performed by the same laser imagingdevice, registration of the color images within the matrix is greatlysimplified. As the data base for the matrix lines is already calibratedwith the laser imaging system, the data base for the deposition of thecolor materials to form the color filter areas within the matrix can beidentical to, or a precisely modified variation of the original ablativeimaging data. The black material is removed from specific areas by thelaser beam to form the matrix and the color material is being depositedwithin the same areas by the same lasers. The pattern of the laser fordeposition of colors will (for the totality of colors laid down, if allwindows within the matrix are to be filled) be approximately the same asthe pattern for the ablation or transparentization used to form thematrix. It might be desirable in certain circumstances to have the laserimaging pattern within specific windows of the matrix extend into thematrix lines (i.e., exceed the limits of the imaging pattern used toform the matrix window) to assure complete filling of the window. Wherea pair of adjacent matrix windows are to have different colors, thedegree of extension of the color should be carefully controlled so thateach color does not extend over a matrix line into a window intended tohave a different color. This is easily effected within the limits ofresolution of the laser imager. Where adjacent windows have the samecolor, the imaging process may allow deposition of the color within theadjacent windows and on top of the black lines defining the matrix,since the color deposition will not adversely affect the matrix lines.

During laser exposure it may be desirable to minimize formation ofinterference patterns due to multiple reflections from the imagedmaterial. This can be accomplished by various methods. The most commonmethod is to effectively roughen the surface of the donor material onthe scale of the incident radiation as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,089,372. This has the effect of disrupting the spatial coherence ofthe incident radiation, thus minimizing self interference. An alternatemethod is to employ the use of an antireflection coating on the secondinterface that the incident illumination encounters. The use ofanti-reflection coatings is well known in the art, and may consist ofquarter-wave thicknesses of a coating such as magnesium fluoride, asdescribed in U.S. Pat No. 5,171,650. Due to cost and manufacturingconstraints, the surface roughening approach is preferred in manyapplications.

A specific method of practicing this aspect of the present inventionwould be to retain the original data defining the window areas of amatrix formed on a black coated receptor sheet, assigning specificlocation values to each window. In providing colors within the windows,each window having an assigned location value can be provided with apredetermined color assigned to each location value. A modification ofthe assigned values (e.g., increase the image area for each color windowby specified percentages of the matrix line widths, or an increase ofspecific dimensions in each direction [length and width]) can beprogrammed into the imaging data for the colors or be used toautomatically or selectively modify the image values to change thelocation values for one or more colors, or even provide variations ofcolors in different areas of the windows, as where different colorintensities might be desirable in different areas on the filter.

These and other aspects of the present invention can be seen in thefollowing, non-limiting examples of the present invention.

EXAMPLES

Materials

A sample of a Toshiba DTI LCD filter was examined under a microscope inorder to determine the approximate dimensions of the black matrix andcolor filter elements. A data file was generated to create images withthese dimensions. A source of color donor sheets was obtained from GTI,Laser Proof™ (Product Code 3257).

Black aluminum (AlO_(x)) coated polyester (4 mil) was prepared using ane-beam evaporation technique as described above with respect to U.S.Pat. No. 4,364,995. This type of black aluminum material may be formedwith gradation in the black layer so that each surface of the layer maybe a slightly different composition. The degree of variation incomposition may be such that one surface is shiny metal and the othersurface may be completely metal oxide. Any variation therebetween may beaccomplished by controlling the degree of oxygenation (or oxidation) ofthe metal during deposition. It is preferred that the directing ofradiation against the black coating be performed with the radiationdirected against a surface which is black (as opposed to shiny) for bestuse of the exposing energy.

The Black Matrix Precursor/Pigment Receiving Element

Daratac 90L adhesive (Hampshire Chemical Corporation) was diluted withdistilled water to a 10% solid solution and coated with a #4wire-wrapped rod onto either a) the non-aluminized side or b) thealuminized side of the black aluminum coated polyester and dried in anoven at 60° C. for 2 minutes.

Preparation of 5% Solution of Energetic Polymer--5% Poly BAMO/10AD

PolyBAMO{poly[bis(azidomethyl)oxetane]}, molecular weight of 4500daltons as determined by gel permeation chromatography, was obtainedfrom Aerojet Corp. A suspension of 90 g of BAMO in 300 g ofmethylethylketone (MEK) was warmed to about 60° C., at which point ahomogeneous solution resulted. To the this solution was added 10 g ofacetylene dicarboxylic acid. The mixture was heated for 3 hrs at 60° C.and then cooled to room temperature. Analysis by ¹³ C NMR indicatedtriazole formation. The MEK was evaporated to yield a viscous liquidwhich was then redissolved in a mixture at 50° C. of 2.4 g ethanolamine,66 g isopropanol, and 160 g water. The mixture was analyzed to determinethe percent solids whereupon it was further diluted with 350 g of waterto result in a solution containing 5% solids.

Preparation of Pigment Stock Solutions

Blue dispersion A preparation: a pint jar, was charged with 66 gdeionized water, 26.4 g isopropanol, and 39.6 g Microlith blue 4G-WA(Ciba-Geigy). This mixture was agitated on a high speed shear mixer for2 minutes at slow speed, then 8.8 g of triethanolamine was added and thespeed was increased to 1/2 speed for 20 minutes. To this mixture wasadded 22 g of deionized water and 8.8 g of isopropanol and stirring wascontinued for an additional 5 minutes.

The above procedure was repeated to give the dispersions with thefollowing pigments used in place of Microlith blue 4G-WA: yellowdispersion A, Microlith yellow 2R-WA; yellow dispersion B, Microlithyellow 3G-WA; black dispersion A, Microlith black C-WA; violetdispersion A, Microlith violet RL-WA; red dispersion A, Microlith redRBS-WA.

Preparation of Binderless Pigment Stock Solutions

Binderless aqueous red, green, and blue pigment dispersions wereobtained under the trade name Aquis II from Heucotech, Ltd. (QA magentaRW-3116, phthalo green GW-3450, and phthalo blue G/BW-3570,respectively). The dispersions were diluted to 10 wt % solids withdistilled water and were agitated on a shaker table for ten minutes toobtain stock solutions.

Preparation of Energetic Polymer Stock Solution

A stock solution was prepared containing the ingredients: 0.9 gdeionized water, 0.15 g 5% Fluorad™ FC 170Cin 1:1 (propanol:water), 13 gof 5% BAMO/10AD, 2.0 g Hycar 26106 dispersion (B. F. Goodrich).

Preparation of Vancryl Stock Solution

A stock solution was prepared containing the ingredients: 14 g water,0.15 g 5% Fluorad™ FC 170Cin 1:1 (propanol:water), 2.0 g Vancryl 600 (anaqueous latex vinyl chloride-ethylene adhesive from Air Products).

Preparation of Neocryl Stock Solution

Neocryl BT-24 (45 wt % solids, emulsion in water, Zeneca Resins) wasdiluted to 20 wt % solids with distilled water and then was neutralizedwith aqueous ammonia to pH 8.0.

Preparation of Surfactant Solution

3M FC-170C surfactant was diluted to 5 wt % solids withwater/isopropanol 1:1.

Preparation of Pigment/Energetic Polymer Coating Solutions

The pigment/energetic polymer coating solutions were prepared accordingto the following formulations:

Blue coating solution: The energetic polymer stock solution (3 g), 0.55g of blue dispersion A, 0.55 g of yellow dispersion A, 1 g of water, and5 drops of a 10% aqueous ammonium nitrate solution.

Green coating solution: The energetic polymer stock solution (3 g), 0.31g of violet dispersion A, 0.8 g of blue dispersion A, and 4 drops of a10% aqueous ammonium nitrate solution.

Red coating solution: The energetic polymer stock solution (3 g), 0.83 gof red dispersion A, 0.27 g of yellow dispersion A, and 4 drops of a 10%aqueous ammonium nitrate solution.

Black coating solution: The energetic polymer stock solution (4 g), 1.1g of black dispersion A, and 4 drops of a 10% aqueous ammonium nitratesolution.

Cyan coating solution: The energetic polymer stock solution (4 g), 1.1 gof blue dispersion A, and 4 drops of a 10% aqueous ammonium nitratesolution.

Magenta coating solution: The energetic polymer stock solution (4 g),0.83 g of red dispersion A, and 4 drops of a 10% aqueous ammoniumnitrate solution.

Yellow coating solution: The energetic polymer stock solution (4 g),0.55 g of yellow dispersion A, 0.55 g of yellow dispersion B, and 4drops of a 10% aqueous ammonium nitrate solution.

Preparation of Pigment/Vancryl Coating Solutions

The pigment/Vancryl coating solutions were prepared according to thefollowing formulations:

Blue coating solution: The Vancryl stock solution (3 g), 300 mg ofviolet dispersion A, 800 mg of blue dispersion A, and 1 g of water.

Green coating solution: The Vancryl stock solution (3 g), 550 mg of bluedispersion A, and 550 mg of yellow dispersion A.

Red coating solution: The Vancryl stock solution (3 g), 550 mg of yellowdispersion B, and 800 mg of red dispersion A.

Black coating solution: The Vancryl stock solution (3 g), 1 g of blackdispersion A, and 1 g of water.

Preparation of Pigment/Neocryl Coating Solutions

Each of the coating solutions was prepared by mixing the listedingredients, followed by agitation on a shaker table for ten minutes:

Red coating solution: The Neocryl stock solution (0.5 g), 1 g ofbinderless red pigment stock solution, 220 mg surfactant solution, and2.5 g of water.

Green coating solution: The Neocryl stock solution (0.75 g), 2 g ofbinderless green pigment stock solution, 220 mg surfactant solution, and1.25 g of water.

Blue coating solution: The Neocryl stock solution (0.5 g), 1 g ofbinderless blue pigment stock solution, 220 mg surfactant solution, and2.5 g of water.

Preparation of Color Donor Elements (or Sheets)

The above coating solutions were coated on top of the black aluminumlayer (TOD=1.0) of a black aluminum coated polyester. Coating solutionscontaining energetic polymer were coated with a #5 wire-wound Mayer barexcept for the blue coating solution which was coated with a #4wire-wound Mayer bar. All of the Vancryl and Neocryl based coatingsolutions were coated with a #4 wire-wound Mayer bar. The coating's weredried at 60° C. for 2 minutes.

Best results were achieved when an antireflection layer was coated ontothe non-aluminized side of the polyester coating. This coatingdiminished an optical interference effect leading to an irregular"wood-grain" pattern. Suitable antireflection layers (described asroughening coatings of silica in U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,372, example 1)were coated onto the non-aluminized side of the polyester substrate.

Daratak/PET Receptor Preparation

Daratak 90L (Hampshire Chemical Company) was diluted to 10 wt % solidsby the slow addition of distilled water. Large particles were removed bycentrifugation (30 sec at 10,000 rpm). The solution was coated ontoplain 4 mil PET using a #4 Mayer Rod and then dried for 2 min at 60° C.

INSTRUMENTAL

Two types of laser scanners were used, namely an internal drum typescanner, useful for imaging flexible substrates and a flat field systemsuitable for both flexible and rigid substrates.

Internal Drum System

Imaging was performed using a Nd:YAG laser, operating at 1.06 microns inTEM₀₀ mode and focused to a 26 micron spot (1/e²) with 3.4 W of incidentradiation at the image plane. The laser scan rate was 128 m/s. Imagedata was transferred from a mass-memory system and supplied to anacousto-optic modulator which performed the image-wise modulation of thelaser. The image plane consisted of a 135° wrap drum which wastranslated synchronously perpendicular to the laser scan direction.

The substrate was firmly attached to the drum during the imaging of thewindow elements and the color filter elements. The required resolutionof the final black matrix/color filter element was obtained via accurateplacement of the scanned laser spots. The donor and the receptor weretranslated in a direction perpendicular to the laser scan at a constantvelocity, using a precision translation stage.

Flat Field System

A flat-field galvonometric scanner was used to scan a focussed laserbeam from a Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) across an image plane. A vacuum stagewas located at the image plane and was mounted in a motorized stage sothat the material could be translated in the cross-scan direction. Thelaser power on the film plane was 3 W and the spot size was ˜100 microns(1/e² width). The linear scan speed for the examples cited here was 600cm/s. Polished glass (Corning #7059F) was mounted on the vacuum stageand was used as the receiving substrate. A donor sheet was placed invacuum contact with the glass and was imaged with the laser. In theimaged areas, colored stripes of equivalent dimensions (˜100 microns)were transferred to the glass.

Examples 1-3 demonstrate the formation of an integral black matrix/colorfilter array.

Example 1

The black matrix precursor/color receiving sheet (a-construction) wasplaced in a curved focal plane surface (internal drum) with the blackaluminum layer side contacting the drum. This film was imaged to createa series of windows resulting in a black matrix/color receiving element.Without moving the receiving element relative to the drum, an energeticpolymer/color donor sheet, described above, was then placed over theblack matrix/color receiving sheet such that the color receiving sheetand the color donor sheet were in intimate contact. This contact waspromoted by application of a vacuum. The construction was imaged andthen the color donor sheet was peeled from the black matrix/colorreceiving sheet in the direction of the laser scan without moving thereceiving sheet relative to the drum. This procedure was then repeatedfor the other colors to form a black matrix/color filter element. Thebest results were obtained by rubbing WD-40 (WD-40 Company), apenetrating lubricant, on the black aluminum side of the filter toremove any residual metal from the laser-exposed window elements. Thisdebris removal method is disclosed in copending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/217,358.

Example 2

A film of black aluminum coated polyester without an adhesive layer, wasplaced in a curved focal plane surface (internal drum) with the blackaluminum layer side away from the drum. This film was imaged to create aseries of windows resulting in a black matrix/color receiving element.An energetic polymer/color donor sheet, described above, was then placedover the black matrix/ color receiving sheet such that the colorreceiving sheet and the color donor sheet were in intimate contact. Thiscontact was promoted by application of a vacuum. The construction wasimaged and then the color donor sheet was peeled from the blackmatrix/color receiving sheet in the direction of the laser scan. Thisprocedure was then repeated for the other colors to form a blackmatrix/color filter element.

Example 3

A film of black aluminum coated polyester without an adhesive layer, wasplaced in a curved focal plane surface (internal drum) with the blackaluminum layer side away from the drum. This film was imaged to create aseries of windows resulting in a black matrix/color receiving element. AGTI color donor sheet, was then placed over the black matrix/colorreceiving sheet such that the color receiving sheet and the color donorsheet were in intimate contact. This contact was promoted by applicationof a vacuum. The construction was imaged and then the color donor sheetwas peeled from the black matrix/color receiving sheet in the directionof the laser scan. This procedure was then repeated for the other colorsto form a black matrix/color filter element. The GTI color donor sheetwas believed to differ in two key respects from the energetic polymercolor donor elements of the previous examples. The GTI color layerappeared to have a thin metallic aluminum layer, instead of a blackaluminum layer, and 2) the GTI colorant layer was believed to contain aninfrared absorbing dye.

Examples 4-6 demonstrate the formation of color filter elements withouta black matrix. In these cases, the receiving substrate was not blackaluminum coated polyester, but a polyester with an adhesive coating(Daratak 90L). In a similar manner, a black matrix could be used as thereceiving element. Example 6 demonstrates the transfer of colorantwithout energetic polymer binders.

Example 4

Same as Example 3, except that GTI donor sheets were used with a Daratak90L coated polyester color receiving sheet instead of a blackmatrix/color receiving sheet to form a color filter element.

Example 5

Same as Example 4, except that the energetic polymer/color donor sheetswere used in place of the GTI donor sheets to form a color filterelement.

Example 6

Same as Example 4 except that the Vancryl/color donor sheets (red,green, and blue) were used in place of the GTI donor sheets to form acolor filter element.

Examples 7-13 demonstrate the use of glass as the receiving substrate.These experiments were done using the flat field laser system. Althoughthese examples demonstrate the formation of color filter elementswithout a black matrix, in a similar manner a black matrix could be usedas the receiving element. An important aspect of these examples is thedirect transfer to the glass substrate without the need for a receivinglayer such as the Daratak.

Example 7

The GTI color donors (yellow, cyan) were sequentially transferred toglass to form colored stripes, and then the GTI color donor (black) wastransferred to form the black matrix, resulting in a black matrix/colorfilter element.

Example 8

The GTI color donor (black) was transferred to glass to form a blackmatrix. Energetic polymer donor sheets (cyan and yellow) were thensequentially transferred on the black matrix to form a blackmatrix/color filter element.

Example 9

An energetic polymer/black donor sheet was transferred to glass to forma black matrix. Energetic polymer donor sheets (red, green, and blue)were sequentially transferred as stripes to the black matrix to form ablack matrix/color filter element.

Examples 10-13 are examples of colorant transfer without energeticpolymer binders. These experiments were done using the flat field lasersystem.

Example 10

The Vancryl/color donor sheet (red) was transferred directly to glass toform colored stripes.

Example 11

The Vancryl/color donor sheet (green) was transferred directly to glassto form colored stripes.

Example 12

The Vancryl/color donor sheet (black) was transferred directly to glassto form colored stripes.

Example 13

The Vancryl/color donor sheet (blue) was transferred directly to glassto form colored stripes.

Example 14

The Neocryl/color donor sheets (red, green, and blue) were sequentiallytransferred to a Daratak/PET receptor sheet using the internal drumlaser system to form approximately 100×300 micron color patches of acolor filter element.

Example 15

The black matrix precursor/color receiving sheet (b-construction) wasplaced in a curved focal plane surface (internal drum) with theDaratak/black aluminum side away from the drum. This film was imaged tocreate a series of windows by transparentizing the black aluminum whileleaving the Daratak layer intact, resulting in a black matrix/colorreceiving element. Without moving the receiving element relative to thedrum, a Neocryl color donor sheet (red) was placed over the blackmatrix/color receiving sheet such that the color receiving sheet and thecolor donor sheet were in intimate contact. This contact was promoted byapplication of a vacuum. The construction was imaged and then the colordonor sheet was peeled from the black matrix/color receiving sheet inthe direction of the laser scan without moving the receiving sheetrelative to the drum. This procedure was then repeated for the othercolors (green and blue) to form a black matrix/color filter element.

Example 16

Solvent based coating solutions were prepared according to theformulations listed in Table 1. A 10 wt % solution of dye was preparedby dissolving 4-tricyanovinyl-N,N-dibutylaniline (prepared by proceduresanalogous to those detailed in McKusick, et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc.,80, 1958, 2806-15) in MEK. A 10 wt % solution of binder was prepared bydissolving PMMA (75,000 MW polymethylmethacrylate available fromPolysciences) in MEK. The solutions were coated onto the black aluminumsubstrate (TOD=0.9) using a #5 Mayer bar. The coatings were dried for 5min at 55° C. and then imaged. The magenta dye crystallized in thecoated film at a dye/binder ratio of 1 or greater (40D-H) as wasevidenced by a decrease in transparency and observable birefringence(using cross polarizers in an optical microscope). The crystallinemagenta dye had a much redder hue than the dispersed dye.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        Sample  Dye Solution                                                                              Binder Solution                                                                          Dye/Binder Ratio                               ______________________________________                                        40A      100        1000       0.1                                              40B  500 1000  0.5                                                            40C  400 800 0.5                                                              40D  500 500 1                                                                40E 1000 500 2                                                                40F 1000 200 5                                                                40G 1000 100 10                                                               40H 1000  0 --                                                              ______________________________________                                    

For this example, imaging was performed on a flat field Nd:YAG (TEM₀₀mode) imaging device using a linear galvanometer. The parameters were 85micron spot size, 7.2 W on the film plane, 6 m/sec linear scan speed).The receptor was an uncoated glass microscope slide.

The state of the dye on the corresponding imaged glass receptor was thesame as that of the donor. Coatings with dye/binder ratios less than 1were imaged to produce uniform films with dissolved dye. Those withratios greater than or equal to 1 produced films with crystalline dye.The adhesion of all colorants to the glass surface was good toexcellent--even those without binder.

All of the transferred samples appeared to be "overheated" in that thebinders had a bubbled, thermally shocked look. In some cases such as40A, a small portion of the dye appeared to be heated beyond the meltingpoint, flowed, and recrystallized outside of the binder boundary. Thisindicated a post image heating and a scan speed that was lower thanoptimum and was likely an effect that was independent of the LITItransfer process.

Example 17

Aqueous coating solutions were prepared according to the formulationslisted in Table 2. A 10 wt % solution of dye was prepared by dissolvingcopper(II) phthalocyanine tetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium salt (Kodak) inwater. A 10 wt % solution of binder was prepared by dissolving NeocrylBT-8™ (Zeneca Resins) in water, followed by neutralization with aqueousammonia to pH 8. The solutions were coated onto the black aluminumsubstrate (TOD=0.9) using a #5 Mayer bar. The coatings were dried for 5min at 55° C. and then imaged. The dye crystallized in the coated filmat a dye/binder ratio of 1 or greater (40N-S) as was evidenced by adecrease in transparency and observable birefringence (using crosspolarizers in an optical microscope).

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                        Sample  Dye Solution                                                                              Binder Solution                                                                          Dye/Binder Ratio                               ______________________________________                                        40J      100        1000       0.1                                              40K  200 1000  0.2                                                            40M  400 800 0.5                                                              40N  500 500 1                                                                40P 1000 500 2                                                                40Q 1000 200 5                                                                40R 1000 100 10                                                               40S 1000  0 --                                                              ______________________________________                                    

Imaging was performed as described in Example 16. The state of the dyeon the corresponding imaged glass receptor was the same as that of thedonor. Coatings with dye/binder ratios less than 1 were imaged toproduce uniform films with dissolved dye. Those with ratios greater thanor equal to 1 produced films with crystalline dye. The adhesion of allcolorants to the glass surface was good to excellent. This exampledemonstrates the efficient transfer of an ionic dye in an ionic binderin the formation of color filter elements.

Example 18

A sacrificial layer was prepared as follows. A 10 wt % mixture in waterof the ingredients listed in Table 3 was prepared at ˜70° C.

                  TABLE 3                                                         ______________________________________                                                                     Parts by                                           Ingredient (Supplier) Weight                                                ______________________________________                                        Chlorowax 70 (Diamond Shamrock, Cleveland, OH)                                                             1.25                                               Shellwax 700 (Shell Chemical Co., Houston, TX) 1.67                           Acryloid B82 (Rohm & Haas, Philadelphia, PA) 0.10                             Carnauba wax (Frank B. Ross Co., Jersey City, NJ) 2.50                        Synthetic Candelilla (Frank B. Ross Co., Jersey City, NJ) 1.00                Staybelite Ester 10 (Hercules Inc., Wilmington, DE) 0.05                      Elvax 210 (E. I. DuPont, Wilmington, DE) 0.60                               ______________________________________                                    

A small amount (2-5% to the solid content of the solution) of chargingagent, OLOA 1200 (Chevron Chemical Co,., Rolling Meadows, Ill.), wasadded to the mixture. The solution was then brought back to roomtemperature under high speed agitation and a stable emulsion wasobtained.

The emulsion was coated on 6 micron PET using a #10 Meyer bar and driedin an oven at 80° C. for 1 minute to form a non-ir absorbingthermoplastic coating. The film was then laminated to black aluminum at230° F. A reflective mask was placed in contact with the substrate andimaged as described earlier. After laser exposure and removal of themask, the 6 micron PET with the thermoplastic coating was peeled awayfrom the black aluminum film. An exact replica of the original image wasobtained and no debris was observable on the surface.

Example 19

Solvent based pigment millbases were prepared according to theformulations (in grams) listed in Table 4:

                  TABLE 4                                                         ______________________________________                                        GS Yel      RS Mag   BS Mag   GS Cyan RS Cyan                                 ______________________________________                                        Pigment                                                                              47.17    47.17    47.17  47.17   47.17                                   Joncryl 35.38 47.17 35.38 47.17 47.17                                         Butvar 11.79 -- 11.79 -- --                                                   Dis. 161  5.66  5.66  5.66  5.66  5.66                                      ______________________________________                                    

The pigments used in the GS Yel, RS Mag, BS Mag, GS Cyan, and RS Cyanmillbases were Hoechst Celanese GG-1100, Sun 234-0077, Hoechst Celanese13-7019, Sun 249-0592 and Sun 248-0165, respectively. Joncryl wasJoncryl 690 by Johnson Wax; Butvar was Butvar B-98 by Monsanto; and Dis.161 was Disperbyk 161 by Byk Chemie. All were 25% solids inMEK/1-methoxy-2-propanol 1:3.

The blue, green, and red color donor coatings were formulated from theabove millbases as follows:

Blue: 1.6 g RS Cyan, 0.4 g BS Magenta, 0.75 g MEK;

Green: 0.4 g GS Cyan, 0.7 g GS Yellow, 0.5 g MEK;

Red: 1.7 g RS Magenta, 0.3 g GS Yellow, 1.0 g MEK.

The above ingredients were combined and were placed on a shaker tablefor 10 minutes. The formulations were coated onto black aluminum with a#4 Mayer Rod and were dried for 2 minutes at 60° C.

A receptor coating solution was prepared by adding 9.0 g water slowlywith stirring to 2.0 g Daratak 90L (W. R. Grace Co.) and stirring forten minutes. The solution was coated onto clear PET and was dried asdescribed above to give a receptor sheet.

The blue, green, and red color donors were imaged against the receptorsheet on the internal drum system with the laser scanning at a velocityof 64 m/sec to give patches of colors to form a color filter matrix.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for forming a black matrix and colorfilter on a substrate comprising the steps of:providing a black coatinglayer on a surface of the substrate; transparentizing one or more areasof the black coating layer in an imagewise fashion by selectivelyirradiating the black coating layer on the substrate; and depositingcolor material on the substrate on at least a portion of the one or moreareas where the black coating has been transparentized.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein selectively irradiating the black coating is performedusing a high energy light source.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein thehigh energy light source comprises a laser.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the step of transparentizing comprises removing portions of theblack coating.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the black coatingcomprises a black body absorber.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein theblack coating layer comprises a metal, a metal oxide, or a metalsulfide.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the color material isdeposited on the substrate by thermal transfer of color material from adonor sheet.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the color material isdeposited on the substrate by laser induced thermal transfer of colormaterial from a donor sheet.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the donorsheet contacts the substrate during transfer of the color material. 10.The method of claim 8, wherein the donor sheet comprises a base layer, atransfer layer comprising a colorant in a binder, and a light-to-heatconversion layer disposed between the base layer and the transfer layer.11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two different colors aredeposited on different portions of the one or more areas where the blackcoating layer has been transparentized.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the at least two different colors are deposited by laser inducedtransfer from one or more donor sheets.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein at least three different colors are deposited on differentportions of the one or more areas where the black coating layer has beentransparentized.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least threedifferent colors are deposited by laser induced transfer from one ormore donor sheets.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the color materialcomprises a dye.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the color materialcomprises a pigment disposed in a binder.